Names / Ray
Is Ray a first name or a last name?
Ray is both: a family name in some places and a given name in others. It is mostly a given name in the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada.
How to address someone called Ray
- United States. Ray is a given name. Hi Ray on first-name terms; formally, Mr. or Ms. goes with the family name, not with Ray.
- United Kingdom. Ray is a given name. Hi Ray on first-name terms; formally, Mr. or Ms. goes with the family name, not with Ray.
- Australia. Ray is a given name. Hi Ray on first-name terms; formally, Mr. or Ms. goes with the family name, not with Ray.
- Canada. Ray is a given name. Hi Ray on first-name terms; formally, Mr. or Ms. goes with the family name, not with Ray.
Not sure which part of a full name is which? Check the full name with the country where the person is based.
Ray by country
People recorded in Wikidata who carry Ray as a family name or as a given name, by country of citizenship (2,624 in total).
| Country | As family name | As given name | Family name share |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 232 | 1,313 | 15% |
| United Kingdom | 36 | 346 | 9% |
| Australia | 11 | 191 | 5% |
| Canada | 15 | 184 | 8% |
| New Zealand | 4 | 47 | 8% |
| France | 35 | 8 | 81% |
| Ireland | 1 | 34 | 3% |
| South Africa | 1 | 13 | 7% |
| India | 11 | 1 | 92% |
| Germany | 6 | 3 | 67% |
Wikidata covers notable people, so counts show how the name is used, not how many people carry it.
Ray in the United States
- As a surname: about 133,171 people in the 2010 census, rank 220 among US surnames.
- As a first name: 83,207 babies born between 1950 and 2017, 1% of them girls.
Ray as a given name: men or women?
About 1% of people with Ray as a given name in Wikidata are women, and 1% of US babies given the name. This describes the name, not any one person: a title is usually a safe guess, but the full name without a title is always polite.
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